Metal car roof



Jun@ 19, 1923, f i 1- 1,459,436

l C. D. BONSALL METAL CAR. RooF Filed MarchA 11. v1922 v2 sheets-sheet 1 June E9, 1923. EASQA@ c. D. BONSALL METAL CAR ROOF Filed Marcn 11 1922 2 sheets-shee't 2 Wag. Q. A 4

Patented June I9, i923..

raras CHARLES DAVID BONSALL, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T Y. H.

MURPHY COMPANY, OF NEW KENSINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 0F EENNSYLVANIA.

METAL CAR ROOF.

application med March 11, 1922. serial No. 542,85a`

To all whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES DAVID BON- sALL, a citizen of the United States, and

a resident of the city of Pittsburgh, county of Allegheny, and State of Pennsylvania,

have invented a new and useful Improvement in Metal Car Roofs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that type of outside metal car roofs, wherein the individual roofing sheets are movable relative to one another to a limited extent so as to be able to accommodate themselves automatically to the distortions of the car-body. Under service conditions, one side plate of the car is liable to move longitudinally relative to the opposite side plate, in which case, each roofing sheet slues or oscillates individually around some middle region of the sheet as a center; and as an incident of this movement, one side mar in of a sheet moves inwardly and the ot er side margin of the same sheet (and likewise the adjacent margin of the next sheet) moves outwardly at the same time, producing at the eaves what is commonly known as a saw-tooth effect.

Usually the adjacent roofing sheets are spaced apart and the intervening space provided with a wooden-hatten which in turn is covered with a seam-cap or cover adapted to cooperate with the marginal portions of the respective sheets to form watertight seams, such seam caps being specially designed or supplemented with accessory devices for controlling and limiting the movement of the sheets. When such roofs are properly applied and kept in proper condition, they are very servicable and satisfactory; but otherwise there is liable to be considerable rubbing and wearing of the roof sheets against the seam cap and accessory devices. Likewise, where the frame of the car is knocked out of s uare by sudden excessive bumps, the roof s eets have difficulty in adjusting themselves quickly enough to prevent injury.

The principal objects of the present invention are to overcome the disadvantages above stated; that is, one of the principal objects is to dispense with the seam-cap and accessory devices and thereby eliminate the cost thereof and the liabilit of such devices to rub and wear the s eets; and another principal object is to enable the sheets to follow the distortions of the car quickly and without undue strain on any portion thereof. The invention consists principal] 1n forming in each roof sheet a hollow ri extending from ridge to eaves and adapted to lit over a batten provided therefor on the roof sheathing or supporting frame; it also consists in the parts and in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanyin drawings, which form part of this speci cation and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur,

Fig. l is a plan view of a portion of a car roof embodyingmy invention, parts being shown broken away to more clearly illustrate the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section through the rige portion of the roof, the section being taken adjacent to one of the roof mullions on the line 2 2 in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a similar ridge section, taken adjacen; to a roof seam on the line 3 3 in Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through the roof on the line 4 4 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is cross-section through the eaves port1on of the roof, the section being taken rh'roulgh a roof mullion on the line 5 5 in ig. 6 is a similar eaves section taken adjacent to one of the roof seams on the line 6 6 in Fig. l; and

Fig. 7 is a transverse section through the ridge portion of the roof, the section being taken through the lapping portions of the roof sheet ribs on the line 7 7 in Fig. 1.

In the construction illustrated in the drawin the metal roof sheets l rest upon a woo en sheathing 7 which is supported on carlines (not shown) whose ends rest upon the side plates 8 of the car. Wooden battens or mullions 9, one for each roof sheet, are arranged transversely of the car and secured on the sheathing. Each roof sheet has a hollow rib 2 formed thereon and extending from ridge end to eaves end thereof at or near the midline-thereof; and the rib of each sheet straddle or ts over one of said battens or mullions. The metal roof sheets are arranged in two rows, one on each side of the ridge, the sheets on opposite sides of the ridge being spaced apart, and the sheets on the same side of the ridge being spaced apart. 'Ihe sheets on the same side of the rid e are interloclred along their side margins y slidin joints or telescop'ing seams A. A suitaba standing seam for this purpose comprisesl a rebent ange 3 along the side mar in of one sheet, the web portion of said ange extending upwardly and the mar inal portion thereof extending downwar ly and baclrwardlyl to form an open loop to cooperate wit the langed marginal portion d ot the ad acent sheetB This marginal into a three ortion is forme part dang@ or loop, which entends first upwardly and outwardly at an inclination and thence downwardly and outwardly at an inclination and thence inwardly and upwardly to form an open loop that is adapted to hook into the open loop of the first mentioned sheet. this arrangement, the margins of the s eets interlock loosely, so that the sheets are not only free to slide or telescope endwise but also have a limited freedom ot movement transversetly of the seam, these movements being su c'ent to permit the sheets to slue relative to each other without bending'.

The eaves end of each root sheet has a doubled-under ange 6 which forms an open loop; and in this open loop hooks a rebent Hangs 10a formed by bending back into an open loop the inner margin of a metal flashing strip 10, whereby the eaves end of the roof sheet is free to move in its own plane to a limited extent but is held against vertical movement.

rlhe doubled-under iange at the eaves end of each sheet is interrupted at the middle of the sheet by the hollow rib 2, thus forming a gap in said flange beneath said rib, whereby the portion of the eaves flashing located therebelow is free from engagement with said doubled-under flange. l

The eaves ends 2a of the top portion of vthe hollow ribs 2 of the roof sheets are turned down over the eaves ends of the transverse mullions 9 and are thence turned under the free portions of the doubled-back flanges 1G of the eaves flashing strips 10 between the spaced inner ends of the d oubled-under eaves flanges 6 of said roof sheets that engage said doubled-back flanges of said Hanging strips on opposite sides of said hollow r1bs.

As stated above, the sheets on opposite sides of the ridge are spaced apart. This space is covered by a seam-cap or cover 11 of any suitable type that will permit a limited movement of the sheets. As illustrated in the drawing, the ridge ends of the sheets are provided with rebent ridge danges 5 that extend from the central -ribs of the sheets to the side anges thereof and are flanged u wardly and thence inwardly and downwar ly for cooperation with the ridge ca s. rlhese ridge caps are of inverted channel section with longitudinally extending margins 12 at their sides'. rliransveree in verted channels 13 are formed in said ridge cap ofthe proper size and in proper position to receive and permit' movement et the seam portions A of the sheets ilhe ridge ends of the top portions of the hollow ribs 2 of the roof sheets are formed with extensions 2* which lap at the ridge and are perforated to receive the saddle bolts 14C of running board saddles 15. The ends ot the ridge seam. caps are located adjacent to the battons or mullions 9 hereinbefore mentioned; and ourway corner caps 16 of any suitable t pe are used to cover the ends ot said ri ge seam caps 11 and the lapped ridge ends 2* of the ribs 2 ot the sheets. rlhe running board saddles 15 are located above the corner caps 16 and rest on the hollow ribs 2 of the root sheets and are supported by the mullions 9 straddled thereby. rlhe corner caps 16 are held in place by the saddle bolts 1t that entend down through the sheathing 7 and the ridge pole 17 whereby the roof sheets are held in place and still allowed limited movement.

The operation of the roof hereinbefore described is generally similar to that of other roofs of the so-called dexible outside metal type. When the car oes out of square, the root sheets indivi ually slue so as to keep their side margins more or less nearly parallel with the carlines. lin the present case, the battons or mullions are secured to the sheathing or frame and move therewith; and as the ribs of the root' sheets fit over said battens or mullions, the move therewith, or rather, they are move positively by said battons or mullions. The movement of the sheets by lthe mullions causes one eaves end of the sheet to move outwardly and the other eaves end of said sheet to move inwardly, which movements are permitted by the loose engagetitl ment of the Sheets by the eaves flashing p stri s, and b the play afforded the sheets un er the ri e cap and the sliding of one sheet longitudmally on the' other afforded by the telescopic seam construction. As the movement of the roof frame is transmitted positively to the roof sheet through the batten and mullion, which engages the sheet throughout the length thereof, the sheet is enabled to withstand excessive bumping of the car without injury. The engagement of the rib of the sheet with the hatten relieves the margins of the sheet from stresses acting longitudinally of the car and greatly simpliiies the problem of making a water-tight seam between adjacent sheets. lin fact, it makes it practicable to join the sheets b a seam-telescoping joint and thereby ispenses with the transverse seam covers that have been heretofore used notwithstanding the disadvantages attachin thereto.

The construction herein fore described iso permits of considerable variation without departing from my invention and I do not wish to be limited to the details of such construction. For instances, the seam construction above described is merely typical and may be replaced with any seam construction that will permit the individual sheets to slue to accommodate themselves to the distortions of the roof frame. The particular seam construction described has the great advantage that it joins adjacent sheets directly together in such manner that they are free to slide crosswise of the car in opposite directions and have suiiicient play endwise of the car to'permit of the sluing movement. Thus, this particular seam of construction makes it possible to eliminate parts heretofore used in roofs of this general type; but my invention contemplates also the use of seams of other types, such as the cap seams heretofore connnon with this general type of roof.

`What I claim is:

l. A car roof comprising a support having battens arranged transversely thereof and roofing sheets having hollow ribs astraddle said battens, said sheets having portions at both sides of the respective battens that rest flatwise on said support.

2. A car root comprising a su port having battens arranged transverse y thereof and roofing sheets having hollow ribs that straddle said battens so to move therewith, adjacent sheets having their marginal portions interlocked to form sliding seams.

3. A car root1 comprising a support having battens arranged transversely thereon and roof sheets having hollow ribs straddling said battens so as to move therewith,

the marginal portions of adjacent sheets being connected by sliding joints that allow play endwise of the car sufficient to permit sluing of the sheets.

4:. A car rooic comprising a support having battens arranged transversely thereof and roofing sheets having hollow ribs astraddle said battens, said sheets having portions at both sides of the respective battens that rest Hatwise on said support, the eaves ends of said hollow ribs being bent under the eaves ends of said battens.

5. A car roof comprising a substructure having battens arranged transversely thereof and roof sheets arranged on each side of the ridge and connected along their ridge and side margins by flexible sliding joints, said roof sheets having hollow ribs straddling said battens, the ridge ends of said hollow ribs being lapped and pivotally secured together.

6. A car roof comprising a substructure having battens arranged transversely thereof and roof sheets arranged on each side of the ridge and connected between battens and along their ridge margins by fiexible sliding joints, said roof sheets having hollow ribs straddling said battens, the ridge ends of said hollow ribs being lapped and secured to the car substructure.

7. A car roof comprising a substructure having transversely arranged battens and roof sheets arranged on each side of the ridge and having hollow ribs that straddle said battens, said roof sheets being movably connected between battens and along their ridge margins by loose joints, and an eaves flashing and retaining strip secured to the eaves of the car, the eaves ends of the hollow ribs ot said sheets being doubled under said flashing strip.

8. A car roof sheet comprising a body portion having a hollow rib near the middle thereof and extending the full length thereof and adapted to receive and eo-operate with a hatten, said sheet having side and ridge seam flanges and having its eaves end rebent on its lower side, the ridge end of said hollow rib being extended beyond the body portion of said. sheet and the eaves end of said rib being turned under the body porti'on of said sheet.

Signed at New Kensington, Pa., this 1st day of March, 1922.

CHARLES DAVID BONSALL. 

